


Safe and Sound

by destieldrabblesdaily



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-15 00:24:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5764639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destieldrabblesdaily/pseuds/destieldrabblesdaily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the prompt: 'College!AU where Dean and Cas are roommates and one of them is afraid of thunder, so naturally they have to huddle/cuddle together until the storm is over.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe and Sound

As Castiel slowly woke up, he immediately became aware of a foreign, heavy weight half on top of him.

The mysterious weight left him feeling confused; it reminded him of home, where his dog Alfie would often sneak into his bedroom and crawl into bed with him, happily ignoring mother’s ‘ _no pets upstairs_ ’ rule. But that was home, this was college. There was no Alfie here… Only Castiel’s roommate, Dean.

Castiel’s eyes flew wide open at the sudden sound of thunder, followed by a bright flash of light that eerily illuminated the small room that he shared with his friend. Just enough light for Castiel to realize what was going on; Dean’s bed was empty, because instead of sleeping in his own bed, Dean was curled up against Castiel’s side, hiding his face against Castiel’s chest.

“Dean?” Castiel muttered, feeling a little breathless at the knowledge that his very attractive roommate was practically cuddled up against him for some reason.  

Dean flinched in Castiel’s arms when his name was being called. Another crash of thunder and another flash of blue, and Castiel saw how mortified green eyes glanced up at him in the dark.

“Shit, Cas, I- I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking man, but you were sleeping and I was…” The rumbling noise of more thunder stopped Dean from finishing his sentence.

It wasn’t until now that Castiel realized that Dean was _shaking_ , even as he was trying to get up and move away from Castiel.

“You’re _afraid_.” Castiel concluded out loud, placing a hand on Dean’s shoulder before Dean could make an escape.

When he didn’t move, Castiel reached for the lamp on the nightstand, switching it on. Green eyes stubbornly avoided him when he tried to make eye contact with Dean, who was now sitting on the very edge of Castiel’s bed.

“It’s dumb.” Dean whispered, still not looking at Castiel, clearly feeling ashamed.

More roaring sounds of thunder from outside, and Dean shuddered visibly. In the ten months that he’d known Dean, Castiel had never seen his friend like this; Dean was always the one with the big mouth. The one who wasn’t afraid of anything, and frequently got into trouble because of his reckless behavior.

“I never said it was dumb.” Castiel replied gently, patting the empty space between them in invitation without thinking about it, feeling a sudden burning need to comfort his roommate.

Dean at last turned his head to face Castiel, incredulously raising an eyebrow at him.

“You’re my friend, and you’re obviously scared. I want to help you, so if this is what helps you…” Castiel trailed off as he once again gestured for Dean to come closer.

Hesitantly, Dean took him up on the offer, ever so slowly laying down beside Castiel like he had before.

Castiel felt a rush of guilt as he loosely wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist, because yes, he wanted to help his friend, but he’d be lying if he denied that he loved having Dean this close for reasons that were more than a little selfish. Would be lying if he said he hadn’t fantasized about sharing a bed, or about _kissing_ Dean.

He could sense that Dean was tense as he stiffly rested his head against Castiel’s shoulder, partly burying his face in Castiel’s pillow.

Seconds later, the loudest crash of thunder yet startled them both, and Dean trembled against Castiel. Castiel’s fingers explored shyly, tentative as they rubbed soothing patterns into Dean’s back through his old faded shirt. Dean didn’t comment, nor did he pull away.

They didn’t move for nearly an hour, until both the thunder and lightning died down. Castiel tried his hardest to not enjoy it too much, but it was difficult like this, having Dean in his arms like he’d wanted for far too long.

By the time everything was calm again, Castiel was blankly staring at the ceiling, slowly breathing in and out, not daring to move so much as an inch. After a while, he felt Dean’s eyes on him, and he reluctantly peeked down at his friend.

“You can start laughing at me now.” Dean mumbled, cheeks turning an endearing shade of pink. “Or at least text everyone you know to tell them how Dean Winchester is secretly a giant _wimp_.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Dean.” Castiel huffed, chastising his roommate with a glare for making assumptions. “You were terrified. If you think I enjoy seeing you like that, you don’t know me very well.”

Dean sighed. “I know you’re not like that, Cas… I just… I feel like an _idiot_. And I’m sorry for crawling into your bed like some kind of creeper without even asking.”

“You’re forgiven.” Castiel assured him, absentmindedly rubbing a hand along Dean’s upper arm. “I’ll have you know that I’m not necessarily opposed to sharing my bed with someone as good looking as you.”

Before Castiel could curse himself for putting his feelings on display like that, Dean’s low chuckle already put him at ease; if nothing else, Dean at least wasn’t angry or disgusted. To Castiel’s surprise, neither of them cared to wiggle out of their embrace as they were having this conversation, as if they had some sort of silent understanding about this not-so-ordinary night.

A long silence followed, but their eyes stayed connected. Eventually, Dean broke it.

“Hey, Cas?”

“Hmm?”

“I told you about my mom, didn’t I?”

Castiel felt his throat go dry, his heart sinking. Dean had indeed told him about her a while ago; she’d died back when Dean was only six years old.

“Yes, you did.” Castiel answered softly. “She passed away when you were still very young.”

Another silence, shorter this time. Dean seemed to be digging through memories, eyes glassy yet troubled as they stared at the wall behind Castiel.

“I never told you how… It was storming that night.” Dean admitted, directing his gaze at Castiel again, voice fragile and raw. “Lightning struck, and the house caught on fire. Me and Sammy made it out, as did my dad… Mom didn’t make it, he couldn’t get to her in time.”

Seeing how Dean blinked to get rid of the tears stinging behind his eyes, Castiel’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces. Castiel didn’t say anything, because there was nothing to say. He simply held Dean closer, kissing the top of Dean’s head as if it was the natural thing to do, repeating the motion until Dean’s breathing evened out.

They fell asleep like that, legs tangled, Castiel nuzzling Dean’s hair.

~

When Castiel woke up again, it was because of soft lips brushing against his skin. Tender kisses were pressed to his cheek, his jaw, his nose. Opening his eyes, Castiel found that the sun was rising, and Dean’s grinning face was greeting him.

“Is this okay?” Dean asked quietly, hovering over Castiel, their lips nearly touching. “I know last night was kinda weird, but I know what I feel and-”

Castiel pulled Dean in, their lips colliding before Dean could give Castiel the full speech. As they kissed, deep and slow, Castiel figured that thunderstorms were often a curse, but at rare occasions a blessing.

**Author's Note:**

> For more Destiel stories, go to destieldrabblesdaily.tumblr.com


End file.
